[brandonmenc]

Having seen family members in similar situations, this is not "interesting" - your implication being that OP's mother is the swindler.

It's a common pattern: Family "takes care" of an elder while blowing through their money. Money now depleted, a more responsible family member steps in to manage the final years, only to be vilified by everyone who rode the gravy train in.

[3131s]

This exact same thing happened with my grandmother. My dad's brother is a scumbag and took it upon himself to spend her money while ostensibly taking care of her (the kind of care you'd expect from abusive alcoholic). My dad wanted my grandmother to actually spend her money on an elderly care facility, because she would have been much happier there among people as opposed to being essentially alone for the last 15 years of her life. But, her social reticence and my uncle's persistent guilt tripping kept her at home. It's a little hard to prove over the internet who was right or wrong in these cases, but I assure everyone that I could tell a few stories about my uncle that would leave absolutely no doubt.